Design, Style, and Artistic Identity with Author-Illustrator Wallace West!

The Dogtown shelter is occupied by a number of dogs – both real and robot – that have been brought in for a variety of reasons: some were strays, some behaved badly, and some were outgrown. Chance, a three-legged dog, has been at Dogtown for a long time. When a new robot dog called Metal Head arrives at the shelter, Chance can’t stand how he ignores all the families interested in him. (Metal Head is, after all, too busy studying his own manual to pay attention to any humans.) In time, Metal Head proves himself to be an unexpected ally, a bond that’s deepened when Chance discovers Metal Head also dreams of being reunited with his owner. He and Chance embark on an adventure to find their families – and form a beautiful unlikely friendship along the way.

Illustrations by the phenomenal Wallace West are essential to fully realizing the world of Dogtown. We had the opportunity to talk with Wallace about his artistic identity, the journey from draft to finalized character design, and his work on Dogtown. Enjoy!

Tell me about your journey as an artist — where did you start, and where do you hope to go?

I’ve been drawing since I can remember. I still have a drawing of an elephant I did when I was four. I want to take my talent all the way to an Oscar nomination for an animated short. That’s a HUGE goal of mine. Another goal: doing more and more workshops with burgeoning artists in elementary, middle, and high schools who don’t know that being an artist is a tangible, achievable way to make a living. 

How did you develop your signature illustrating style? Who were your creative influences?

The short answer: identifying what I like in my heroes, and recreating those elements in my own hand. Then, when I identified what I really liked as repeat stylistic choices in my own hand, ‘copying’ myself to keep that style muscle intact. Re-doing an illustration of the Grand High Witch in The Witches by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake was pivotal in steering me to defining my own style. Biggest influences are Quentin Blake of course, Mary Blair, Edward Gorey, and Peter Brown. Those names kind of read like an Agatha Christie dinner party guest list, doesn’t it?!

Are there any steps of the creative process that you struggle with? If so, what are they? How do you push through a creative block?

At this point in my career, it’s less struggle and more fun challenge in terms of artistic execution. (How can I get that texture to look right? What color palette works best for his world?) But I definitely struggle with pitying myself for the first few days of a project. ‘Oh no! I lobbied like heck to get this book acquired and now I have to WORK?’ That goes away really quickly because I am in LOVE with what I do. 

You have worked as both an author (of Mighty Red Riding Hood and Cinda Meets Ella) and as an illustrator. How has this “double dipping” impacted your artistic identity?

I have and continue to work in advertising and marketing which = years of answering creative briefs. Not many people would expect an artist to want a framework. But I really love going wild within the guardrails an author has written. I get to show what they’ve told. Whereas when I’m the author and illustrator, I’m in constant conversation with myself. ‘Do you want to show or tell this? Will this joke land better visually or verbally? Is this emotion stronger as an expression on a face or a perfectly constructed sentence?’ I don’t like one more than the other but there is something intrinsically freeing about not being in charge of the text. 

If you could use three adjectives to describe your work, what would they be?

Expressive, Irreverent, Unconventional.

With prose from Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and your stunning illustrations, the world of Dogtown feels rich and fully-realized. Do you have a favorite illustration from Dogtown? A favorite scene?

Yes. Disney’s greatest animated feature as far as I’m concerned is 101 DALMATIANS. There’s a spread in Dogtown that shows all of the foster mommy dogs with litters of puppies and I was pulling from the magic of that movie. A never-ending dog parade. Hey, can that be a thing? A dog parade? I don’t need floats on Thanksgiving Day. Just Afghans to Yorkies waltzing down the street living their best lives. Woof!

What was your character design process like for Dogtown? Can you walk readers through the early concept stage to the final designs?

Katherine and Gennifer are incredible at world-building and character descriptions. (Are you surprised? No, they’re geniuses!) So I had a great foundation to start with. Character design for something someone else has written starts as a slight shot in the dark, though. I always know it’s not going to work on the first go. But I have to get something on paper so that I can take their reaction and critique (too fluffy, ears too long, eyes are weird) and mold it into a stronger proposal. For Chance, there were three rounds if I recall. Metal Head came about differently. I just drew a bunch of robot dogs and based one of them on my dog at the time — a squatty little beagle with long floppy ears. Katherine and Gennifer immediately said, “That’s Metal Head!” 

Was there a certain dynamic or theme in Dogtown that really resonated with you?

Knowing deep in your heart that you’re supposed to be somewhere else, and finding your way there no matter the challenges.

If you were in Dogtown, do you think you’d prefer a robot dog like Metal Head or a real dog like Chance?

I’m a live dog fan all the way (even when they pee on an expensive rug). Caveat being Metal Head specifically. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime creature and I’d love to have him robot-ing around my home. 

What would you like students, families, and schools to take away from their time with Dogtown?

That dogs- and pets in general- have a profound amount of love for their people. It’s a gift to treasure. Also, that one book can unite a varied international audience. How fun to be a part of the Dogtown community, joined by one book? 

How has reading aloud made an impact on your life?

I’m a huge movie fan. And a good book read aloud is like making your own movie at home. Reading aloud cracks open the vein of levity and silliness like nothing else. Just ask a grumpy-pants grizzly bear to do an Amelia Bedelia voice for some cubs and you’ll see what I mean. 

As you know, AI has infiltrated creative spaces — particularly art, music, and writing. How are you navigating AI? What advice do you have for young artists who are up against this kind of technology?

AI is garbage. It’s so Jurassic Park, meaning it’s just a bunch of people proving they can do a thing without thinking that we actually are way better off without that thing. AI softens brains. Removes curiosity. Dilutes our world. Gives a false sense of security. Makes talented people seem useless to people who have no idea what the creative process is. I’m outspoken to friends, family, and professional circles about how much I disagree with it and how foolish they are for relying on it from a creative perspective and from an environmental standpoint. My advice to young artists is to be aware of how bad it is (as a reminder that their craft is more substantial and rich) and to be outspoken about how terrible the output is from an artistic and environmental perspective.

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We cannot thank Wallace enough for taking the time to chat with us, and for creating an illustration for this blog. If you’d like to contact Wallace, you can use the form on his website and find him on Instagram @gowallacewest.